David Krejci had a goal and an assist, Milan Lucic collected a Gordie Howe Hat Trick and Matt Hunwick atoned for an earlier defensive gaffe with a key insurance tally in the third as the Bruins win their third straight.
They did it by snapping Washington’s four-game winning streak. The Capitals will get a chance to avenge that on Thursday when the clubs complete their home-and-home series as the Bruins finally play their home opener at the Garden.
Third Period, 18:40, Bruins 3-1: Washington gets a chance on the power play, with Campbell out again, this time a double minor for high-sticking Hendricks.
Campbell has 11 penalty minutes in this one, all for fouls on Hendricks.
Third Period, 18:22, Bruins 3-1: Washington uses its timeout, and comes out with six skaters and Varlamov pulled for the extra attacker.
Interesting to see that rookie Jordan Caron on the ice for Boston this late. That shows the kind of trust Julien has in the youngster.
Third Period, 17:30, Bruins 3-1: The Caps are really putting on the pressure now.
They had four forwards on the ice for that last shift, trying to get back into this one.
Third Period, 15:38, Bruins 3-1: Another big save by Thomas, who goes post to post to rob Brooks Laich at the right post.
That kind of save shows just how much more agility and quickness Thomas has this year after his offseason hip surgery.
Third Period, 11:39, Bruins 3-1: Quick note on that Lucic scrap: It’s a big one for the big guy, as he earns the Gordie Howe Hat Trick with the bout.
That’s a goal, an assist and a fight in the same game. Interestingly, Mr. Hockey himself had just two such trifectas in his lengthy career.
Third Period, 10:01, Bruins 3-1: The Caps put another puck in the net, but they don’t cut into the deficit.
That’s because Ovechkin batted the puck into the net with his glove, and the refs immediately waved off the goal.
Third Period, 9:23, Bruins 3-1: Tempers flare again, this time with Milan Lucic dropping the gloves with John Erskine.
They had a run-in earlier that was broken up without punches being exchanged, but this time they traded some serious blows.
Lucic fared much better than his previous battle with Erskine a few years ago, landing some big rights, though Erskine also got in a few good shots in a spirited scrap.
Third Period, 8:15, Bruins 3-1: Near disaster for the Bruins, as Chara coughs up the puck in front of his net, and Brooks Laich pounces for a quick turnaround shot from the right slot.
Tim Thomas was up to the task, however, and makes another big save for the B’s.
Third Period, 5:00, Bruins 3-1: Chara drives deep into the offensive zone and almost sets up Bergeron in front.
With Wheeler picking up the secondary assist on Hunwick’s goal, Bergeron is surprisingly the only Bruins forward to play every game this year who still remains without a point.
Third Period, 2:08, Bruins 3-1: A huge early answer for the Bruins, as Matt Hunwick atones for his earlier defensive miscue with a shot from the left point to push Boston’s lead back to two.
And Jordan Caron finally showed up, first with a bid in front, then providing the screen in front along with Bergeron on the goal.
Third Period, 0:27, Bruins 2-1: The final frame is under way, and the Bruins begin on a good note by killing off the rest of Chara’s penalty time.
It’s very early in the season, but this is still a big final period for the B’s to show what they can do against a powerhouse club like Washington.
Second Intermission Notes: The Bruins need a big final frame to pull this one out.
To do that, they could use some production from the power play, which is 0 for 3 on the night and 1 for 14 on the season. Washington hasn’t been much better, and has just 27 seconds left on Chara’s slashing penalty to avoid going 0 for 4 on the night.
After seeming to turn his play around in the last couple games, Matt Hunwick is struggling again in this one, with his defensive lapse leading to Washington’s only goal.
It’s been a very quiet night so far for Jordan Caron. The Bruins could use his net-front presence right about now.
They could also use a little more physical play from everybody. The Caps have a 25-15 edge in hits, led by Erskine’s seven. Michael Ryder is the surprising leader for the B’s with three hits.
End Second Period, Bruins 2-1: The Capitals cut the lead in half, but the Bruins still head into the third up by a goal.
They’ll still have 27 seconds of Chara’s penalty to kill off to start the third.
The Bruins nearly scored short-handed at the end of the second, but Blake Wheeler shot wide from the right wing on a 2-on-1 as time expired.
Second Period, 18:27, Bruins 2-1: The special teams fest continues, this time with Chara whistled for slashing on a rather dubious call.
Chara knocked the stick out of Laich’s hands behind the Boston net, but didn’t break the stick or hit Laich’s hands. Definitely a weak call there, and the captain was not happy as he headed to the box.
Second Period, 17:03, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins fail yet again to take advantage of a power-play chance.
Boston might just want to start declining these penalties, as the power play isn’t even generating chances, let alone goals.
Second Period, 15:03, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins go right back on the power play, with David Steckel of the Caps called for tripping this time.
Just before the penalty, the hitting was really picking up. Unfortunately for the Bruins, they were on the receiving end of most of those hits.
Second Period, 12:06, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins can’t convert on the back-to-back power plays.
They still hold a one-goal lead, but the momentum is clearly swinging toward Washington now.
Second Period, 10:06, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins’ chances to score on the power play just improved a bit, as John Erskine goes off for delay of game after clearing the puck over the glass.
That gives the B’s 53 seconds of 5-on-3 play to try to break through on the power play. Boston used its timeout to give their top power-play guys a breather.
Second Period, 8:59, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins have a chance to get that goal back, as they go on the power play after Tomas Fleischmann hooked Lucic driving toward the net.
Boston is 1 for 13 on the power play this year, while the Caps are 23 for 23 on the PK.
Second Period, 7:42, Bruins 2-1: So much for that momentum, as the Caps pull within one with a Marcus Johansson goal.
Jason Chimera set it up by pressuring Matt Hunwick into a turnover behind the net, and Johansson fired it hoome from the right slot for his first NHL goal.
Second Period, 7:07, Bruins 2-0: The Bruins successfully kill off both penalties and are back at even strength.
Excellent work by the PK there, as Washington never seriously threatened and Bergeron even had a short-handed chance.
Second Period, 5:07, Bruins 2-0: Things just got much worse for the B’s with Mark Stuart also sent off for tripping up Eric Fehr.
The Caps have 24 seconds of 5-on-3 time. Needless to say, this could be a huge sequence in this game if teh Bruins can survive this.
Second Period, 3:31, Bruins 2-0: The Caps will get their first chance on the power play, as Greg Campbell is sent off for tripping.
Campbell tripped up Hendricks, the same guy he fought in the first. This is a big kill for the B’s, especially since Campbell is one of their primary penalty killers up front.
Second Period, 1:11, Bruins 2-0: A little more rough stuff in front as John Erskine continues to throw his weight around.
That drew the attention of Lucic and Erskine actually dropped a glove in the ensuing scrum, but no fights break out and no penalties are called. That might be just as well for Lucic, who was beaten decisively by Erskine in a bout a few years back.
Second Period, 0:00, Bruins 2-0: Action is under way in the middle frame, with the Bruins looking to build on their early lead.
Washington goalie Michal Neuvirth allowed two goals on just seven shots, but he was removed not for his play, but because he is suffering from the flu.
First Intermission Notes: The Bruins played a near-perfect road period to open this one, and they have a 2-0 lead to show for it.
Washington actually has a 10-8 edge in shots, but the Bruins have cashed in on their chances with two more goals from the top line of Lucic-Krejci-Horton. that unit is playing as well as any line in hockey right now.
Zdeno Chara has also been setting the tone with an ongoing war with Alex Ovechkin. Chara also has words with Caps enforcer D.J. King after Greg Campbell’s fight, but Julien switched the defense to remove any temptation for the captain to drop the gloves in what would have been a bad tradeoff for the Bruins.
Washington also holds a 14-9 edge in hits, with John Erskine credited with six hits already, including a couple of real bone-rattling jolts. The Bruins do hold a slight 10-9 edge in the face-off circle. Surprisingly, Tyler Seguin leads the way at 3-1 after struggling on draws in his first few games, while usual stalwart Patrice Bergeron is just 3-6.
The two goals were the first two Boston has scored in the first period this year. But they can’t rest on their laurels, as Washington has scored just three of their 17 goals in the first frame. The Caps have been adept at coming back from deficits this year, so this one is far from over.
End First Period, Bruins 2-0: The Bruins close out an impressive first frame with a two-goal lead.
Another shutout period for Tim Thomas, who now has allowed just one goal in seven periods of action this season. And he was tested plenty in that period, right up to a chance by Ovechkin in the closing seconds.
First Period, 16:53, Bruins 2-0: The Bruins can’t get much going on that power-play chance, as the Caps are now back at full strength.
Bruins still in good shape with the 2-0 lead, but they can’t let Washington get on the board in the final few minutes of the period and steal momentum.
First Period, 14:53, Bruins 2-0: The Bruins get the first power play of the game with a chance to build on their lead.
Alexander Semin is sent off for tripping.
First Period, 14:15, Bruins 2-0: The Capitals pick up their play and nearly get on the board.
laich tries to stuff it in at the right post, then with a wraparound at the left post, but a sprawling Thomas holds the fort.
First Period, 12:42, Bruins 2-0: The Capitals have made a goalie change, pulling Michal Neuvirth in favor of Semyon Varlamov.
Neuvirth had played every minute of the season to this point in goal for the Caps, while Varlamov missed the start of the season with a groin injury.
First Period, 11:57, Bruins 2-0: The Bruins’ top line strikes again, with Milan Lucic scoring this time to double the lead.
Horton began the play with a pass from the nuetral zone into the Washington end. Krejci ran the puck down along the left boards and feed a perfect pass across to teh right point to Johnny Boychuk joining the play as a trailer. Boychuk carried it in down low and his shot was stopped, but Lucic banged in the second-chance bid from the right slot.
First Period, 9:12, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins draw first blood, with the top line again providing the scorre.
Milan Lucic began the play by chipping it out of the zone up to Nathan Horton, who came down the right wing on a 2-on-1 down low with David Krejci. Horton sent a perfect pass over to Krejci at the right post for the goal.
First Period, 7:56, 0-0: The Capitals are showing off both their depth and their skill.
They come at you in waves with multiple lines capable of scoring at any time, but so far Thomas has been up to the challenge, most recently stopping Brooks Laich in close.
First Period, 5:30, 0-0: Andrew Ference picks a bad time for a turnover, putting an errant clear right on Nicklas Backstrom’s stick.
Washington can’t score even though it had its top line on the ice. The Caps threatened again on the same shift, but Thomas comes up with the stop on ex-Bruin Mike Knuble.
First Period, 3:15, 0-0: And the gloves are off, with a rematch from the preseason between Greg Campbell and Matt Hendricks.
After a square-off, Campbell had the better of the early exchange before Hendricks mounted a comeback. Campbell then rallied again at the end before ending up on the bottom with Hendricks firing away. Very spirited and entertaining scrap to get this one going.
First Period, 2:29, 0-0: Excellent pace to start this one, with lots of up and down action.
Tyler Seguin carried lots of speed into the zone for a chance, and Jason Chimera answered for Washington with a drive down the right wing.
Ovechkin also made his presence felt early with a drive to the net that sent the cage off its moorings.
First Period, 0:00, 0-0: And we’re under way, with Greg Campbell opening the game with a face-off win to get things going.
And the Bruins immediately get Chara and Boychuk out against Ovechkin. Let the chess game begin.
7:30 p.m.: Interesting matchup to start this one, with the Bruins opening with the fourth line and washington countering with their top unit.
That puts Greg Campbell up against Alex Ovechkin. They had a run-in during the preseason that led to some stickwork and a scrum, then a fight between Campbell and Matt Hendricks off the opening face-off of the rematch in Boston.
Mark Stuart and Dennis Seidenberg will start on defense, but look for the Bruins to get Zdeno Chara out against Ovechkin as much as possible. that won’t always be possible as Washington has the last chance as the home team, so Boston’s other blueliners will also have to find a find to contain Ovechkin.
7:25 p.m.: While the Bruins will go with the same lineup as its last three games, Washington has been forced to shuffle some players around.
Defenseman Mike Green and forwards Boyd Gordon and Matt Bradley will all miss this game. Bradley had already been ruled out, but Green and Gordon were considered game-time decisions.
Heavyweight D.J. King will play his second game of the season up front to replace Gordon, while Worcester, Mass. native Tom Poti returns from injury to round out the blue line corps. John Carlson, a Natick, Mass. native who was also questionable for this game, is also playing.
The Capitals’ line combinations and defense pairings:
Forwards
Alex Ovechkin-Nicklas Backstrom-Mike Knuble
Brooks Laich-Tomas Fleischmann-Alexander Semin
Jason Chimera-Marcus Johansson-Eric Fehr
Matt Hendricks-David Steckel-D.J. King
Defense
Jeff Schultz-Karl Alzner
Tom Poti-Tyler Sloan
John Erskine-John Carlson
Goalies
Michal Neuvirth
Semyon Varlamov
7:15 p.m.: As expected, it looks like there won’t be any changes in the lineup for the Bruins in this matchup with Washington.
Daniel Paille, Brian McGrattan and Adam McQuaid will be the scratches, though McGrattan did skate in warmups and it was possible he could have been inserted into the lineup with Washington dressing heavyweight D.J. King. But Bruins coach Claude Julien has opted not to mess with the chemistry of the fourth line, which has been so effective the first few games of the season and produced a goal by Shawn Thornton against New Jersey.
The line combinations and defense pairs will remain the same as Saturday:
Forwards
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Jordan Caron-Patrice Bergeron-Blake Wheeler
Mark Recchi-Tyler Seguin-Michael Ryder
Shawn Thornton-Gregory Campbell-Brad Marchand
Defense
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Mark Stuart- Dennis Seidenberg
Andrew Ference-Matt Hunwick
Goalies
Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask
6:30 p.m.: It’s getting closer to face-off time in Washington, where the Bruins will open a home-and-home series with the Capitals.
Get used to watching the Caps, as the Bruins will take them on three times in their next seven games, this after playing them twice in the preseason.
While awating the start of this one, feel free to check out a full preview of this matchup here.
4:20 p.m.: There’s just a few more hours before Bruins take on the Capitals in Washington for what will likely be their toughest test yet on the young season.
This one will start a bit later than usual at 7:30 with it being a Versus broadcast, but Bruins coach Claude Julien didn’t need any extra time setting his lineup. Not even with the tough decision he’ll have to make in goal every night with two capable netminders both pining for playing time.
It will be Tim Thomas again in this one, as the veteran gets his third straight start after allowing just one goal on 61 shots in his last two appearances.
Julien isn’t anointing Thomas the new No. 1 goalie, however, as he knows he’ll have a difficult balancing act to make sure both Thomas and Tuukka Rask get enough work to remain sharp. But Julien also stressed that there’s no controversy developing between the two goalies, who remain strong friends and supportive teammates.
“You’ve got to ride the hot hand, but at the same time you’ve got to realize that you’ve got another goaltender that needs to play, and will play.” Julien told reporters I Washington after the morning skate. “That’s all part of the equation. Those two guys – and we’ve sat down and had the chat – they’re well aware of what’s going on. They both want to play and they both want what’s best for the team at certain times. As long as they both play well, they’ll both play. That much I can tell you.
“We’ll make room for them to play,” added Julien. “We’ve got lots of games every week and the schedule is going to get more condensed as we move on here. It really hasn’t been an issue. Until it becomes an issue with them, it’s certainly not going to become an issue with us. Right now they seem to be very supportive of each other because they’ve taken the approach that it’s about team first.”
The rest of the projected lineups for both clubs can be found here, with Washington facing a few game-time decisions with several players battling minor injuries, including standout defenseman Mike Green.
8 a.m.: It’s a matchup of the last two Eastern Conference regular-season champions, as the Bruins head down to Washington to open a home-and-home series with the powerhouse Capitals.
The Bruins come in having won two straight in impressive fashion against Phoenix and New Jersey, but this will be a much greater challenge.
Washington has won four straight itself and features a deep and talented attack led by Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green.
The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. at the Verizon Center, so check back here throughout the day for updates on all the action.
